PORT DICKSON: A total of 102,618 illegal immigrants have joined the Immigration Department’s Back for Good (B4G) programme as of Nov 14, after it was launched on Aug 1, said Home Ministry secretary-general Tan Sri Alwi Ibrahim.
He said of the total, Indonesian nationals recorded the highest number at 37,048 people, followed by those from Bangladesh (31,110), India (17,107), Pakistan (5,258) and the rest were from other countries.
The B4G, to be implemented in Peninsular Malaysia until Dec 31, aims at giving illegal immigrants who have committed offences under the Immigration Act 1959/63, the chance to return to their countries of origin according to stipulated requirements.
“We hope all illegal immigrants will immediately join the B4G programme. However, we advise them not to concentrate at the Immigration offices in Putrajaya and Kuala Lumpur only but instead to go to states’ immigration offices to avoid congestion,” he said here today.
He was speaking to reporters after witnessing the parade of immigration officers who had completed the basic training course at the Malaysia Immigration Academy (AIMM) here today, which was also attended by Immigration director-general Datuk Khairul Dzaimee Daud.
The illegal immigrants need to obtain a complete identification document from their respective embassies and high commissions and submit it to the Immigration office for processing, as well as pay a RM700 compound and to produce a flight ticket to their home country.
Meanwhile, in another development, Khairul Dzaimee said the department had carried out 15,590 illegal immigrant-related enforcement operations nationwide, from Jan 1 until last Thursday (Nov 14).
A total of 181,473 individuals were inspected, of which 46,115 were illegal immigrants while 1,146 employers were also detained, he said.
“Among those detained include 15,663 from Indonesia, Bangladesh (10,020), Myanmar (4,847), the Philippines (3,485), India (2,631), Thailand (2, 605), Pakistan (1,808), Vietnam (1,630), China (977), Nepal (929) and 1, 520 from other countries.
“The detained employers include 1,089 local employers, Indonesia (nine), Thailand (12), Bangladesh (10), Pakistan (six) and 20 others,” he said. — Bernama
